Friction-clutch.



D. NOBLE.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

APPLIOATION IILED JUNE 15, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I 22 m- 32 I El T52 W Pigg- QJ 22 s2 I I l l' I I I l .:5 a I I WITNESSES: INVENTOR jgg QC Z Jbnaid mug W3 47M BY I ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

D. NOBLE.

FRICTION CLUTCH.

nruouron rum) Jun: 16, 1909.

950,05 3 Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

2 8KEET8SHEET 2.

DONALD NOBLE, 0F BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DONALD Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed June 15, 1909. Serial No. 502,242.

ject of Edward VII, King of Great- Britain,

residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, United. States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Friction Clutches; and I do hereby declare the follow- Q ing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others g skilled in the art to whichit appertains make and use the same.

My invention relates to friction clutches: for machines of various descriptions, but? more particularly. to be used in connection 1 with machines for covering or insulating wire with yarn or its equivalent.

The object of my invention is to provide a friction clutch which shall cause no shock Q whatsoever in stoppin chine, thereby pecui provement for use in or starting a maar y adapting my imconnection with ma- I chines for covering wire with fine yarn? since the latter as well as the wire itsel and any accidental, breakage is very annoying.

My invention consists in the details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and then articularly pointed out in the claims whlch conclude this description.

In the accompanying drawing which 8:

forms a part of this application Figure 1 is an elevation of my improvement-Fig. 2 a sectional elevation thereof-Fig. 3 a detail plan View showing the rock bar and the manner in which the same is connected with the yokes that operate the clutch mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a detail section at the line on, w, of Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawconnection with my improvement, since this I have illustrated no specific machine in is not deemed necessary owing to the fact that the character of the machine is not of 50. "*7 September 27, 1898, to T. R. Rossiter and myself, a friction clutch is shown and dethe essence of my invention.

In U. S. Letters Patent No. 611,512, issued "scribed in which thereare two rotary clutch belements only one of which has a movement lengthwise of the supporting shaft, and interposed between the clutch elements is a Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

- I leather disk that is carried by the power NOBLE, a subpulley which latter is loosely mounted on its supporting shaft, and the movable clutch element is operated to force the leather disk firmly against the other clutch element, which is the belt pulley, whereby motion is transmitted to the machine to be driven. This style of clutch is likewise shown in U. S. Patents No. 656,853, dated August 28,

1900, and No. 680,665, dated August 13,.

1901, both which were issued to me. In the clutch shown in these patents, the leather diskis likely to stick to the clutch after its elements are disengaged thereby requiring some sort of brake device to insure the prompt stopping of the rotary motion of the clutch.

In my resent improvement the power pulley is tight on the power shaft and the.

clutch elements entirely inclose this pulley and are both movable lengthwise of the shaft and engage with frictional rings carried by the opposite sides of such pulley, so that 1 there can be no sticking or hanging of the possess no great degree of tensile strength I clutch elements to the friction rings when said elements are withdrawn from the power pulley, .and accordingly I do away entirely with any necessity for a special brake acting against the clutch. Moreover, my improved clutch elements, since they entirely inclose the power pulley, form a dust roof box and 1 thus keep the parts clean and ree of all foreign matter.

.1 is the power shaft and 2 the power pulley splined thereon. Within the opposite side faces of this pulley are secured rings 3, of any suitable material that possesses good frictional contact such as rubber, leather, &c., which rings are concentric with the pulley itself. Loosely supported around the shaft 1 and inclosi-ng the pulley 2 is a clutch box 4, and also supported loosely around said shaft is a disk 5 which constitutes one side of the clutch box. Both the box and disk are provided with hubs 6, 7, respectively, through which the shaft 1 extends, and these hubs are each formed with annular grooves 8, 9, for the purpose presently to be explained.

10 are pins secured to the disk 5 and extending within the box 4, and a are heads on the free extremities of these pins projecting loosely through the side of said box.

tremities: are secured to the yokes 12, 13.

' 16 is a part of the frame work in which the power shaft is journaled, and 17, 18, are tubular casings rigldly secured to th1s frame work and depending therefrom, through which casings the rods 14, 15, extend, and to the upper extremities of these rods, 1mmediatelyabove the framework 16, are secured crank arms 19, 20.

. 21 isa rock shaft which depends immediately below the bed 22 of the machine in connection with which my improvement is to be used, and this rock shaft is secured to the bed in any suitable manner so as to be capable of ax1al rocking movements.

23 is a lever secured to the rock shaft 21 and provided at its outer end with-a handle 24, so that it will be clear that by shifting th1s lever to and fro the shaft 21 will. be rocked.

25 is any ordinary bracket or strap which depends from the bed 2 and acts as a support for the lever 23, and 1s provided with a notch 0, for the purpose presently to be explained.

To the lower extremity of the rock shaft 21 is secured a rock bar 26, and the outer extremities of this bar are secured to the outer extremities of the cranks 19, 20, by means of links 27 28.

29 is a belt wheel external of the clutch box 4 and ri 'd with the periphery thereof which belt w eel is the means whereby motion is transmitted to the machine by means of any suitable belt.

30 is a coil spring whose ends are secured to pins 31, 32, ro ecting respectively from the bed .22 and lever. 23, the function of which spring is to return said lever to normal P05113101} when it is released from the notch c.

' The operation of my improvement is as follows :-When the parts are in the position shown at Fig. 2, the rings 3 will be in close frictional contact with the inner walls of the clutch box and disk and therefore rotary motion will be communicated tosaid box and disk, and the belt wheel 29 will thereby be revolved to transmit power to the machine in connection with which my improvement is used. The spring 30 is stronger than the s rings 11, and when the lever '23 is release from the notch c this spring 30 will return the lever to normal position and thereb rock the shaft 21, and

the rods 14, 15 -wil be rocked through the medium of the links 27, 28, and the cranks inclosing sai 19, 20, whereby the yokes 12, 13, will be turned in opposite directions, thereby separating the box and disk and withdrawing the inner side walls of the same from contact with the rings 3, and since the clutch box and disk and parts carried thereby are loose around the power shaft, it follows that, when said box and disk are separated in the manner just described, the power pulley will continue to revolve while the belt wheel 29 will come to a state of rest.

In a plying the power to the belt wheel 29, the ever 23 is swung in the reverse direction and engaged with the notch c, whereupon the springs 11 will by their resiliency bring the inner side walls of the box in Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A friction clutch, consisting of a power shaft, a power pulley tight thereon and carrying friction contact surfaces on its opposite sides, clutch elements in rotary connection loosel supported on said shaft and d pulley and capable each of lengthwise movements along said shaft toward and awa from said friction contact surfaces, said cliitch elements having concentric annularly grooved external hubs, spring elements for constantly pressing the clutch elements against said friction contact surfaces, yokes extending within the grooves of said hubs, rods secured to said yokes, crank arms secured to said rods, a rock shaft carrying a rock bar, links which connect the ends of said rock bar with the ends of said crank arms, and means for operatin said rock shaft. y Y 2. A iction clutch, comprising a power shaft, a power pulley tight thereon, friction rings secured to the opposite side faces of said pulley, a clutch box loose on said shaft and inclosing saidpulley and having at its 0 en side inwardly extending cars, a clutch disk also loose on said shaft and formin a cover to said box, pins secured to said disk and extendin loosely through'said ears and providedwitfi heads which pass freely into the side of said box, coil springs around said pins and bearing against said ears and heads whereb said box and disk are normally a box having at its ofien side inwardly extending ears and a dis whichforms a cover to said box, said box and disk loosely supported .on said shaft and inclosing said pulley and capable of movements lengthwise of said shaft toward and away from said friction contact surfaces and having concentric annularly grooved external hubs, pins carried by said disk and extendin loosely through said ears and having at t eir free ends heads which pass freely into the side of said box whereby said box and disk are in rotary connection, coil springs around said pins and bearing against said heads and ears whereby said box and disk are normally. engaged with said friction. contact surfaces, yokes extending within the grooves of said hubs, rods secured to said yokes, crank arms secured to said rods, a rock shaft carrying a rock bar, links which connect the ends of said rock bar with the ends of said crank arms, and means for operating said rock shaft.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DONALD .NOBLE.

WVitnesses ABBIE M. DONIHU, CHARLES E. BERGER. 

